Ljubljana š Zagreb
Cappuccino
Everything Julius Meinl.
Zvezda, Wolfova 12
It was Yennieās Birthday! She likes to eat well on her birthday - thatās it. So, we had a culinary tour de force before we left Ljubljana, which we have completely fallen in love with.
First, Zvezda. It is a local cafe, frequented by university students and well-heeled grandmas alike. It is famous for its pastries, especially traditional Slovenian ones. We had gibanica, a layered phyllo pastry with poppy seeds, raisins, apples, and custard. It was a nice little treat with our morning coffee.
We then wandered around the city, checking out some of the local stores and gift shops. We came across GUD Shop, which had a nice selection of housewares and hipster gifts. One of the more famous exports and industries in Slovenia is in enamelware. GUD Shop sold enamelware that had traditional patterns of flowers, which blended the old-new thing so well. We also visited Trgovina Ika another store that exclusively showcases Slovenian designers and brands. We had sufficiently worked up an appetite, so it was lunch time! On to the main event.
Just the day prior, we ate at two wonderful little spots that specialize in Slovenian cuisine: Valentin, a fish restaurant that housed a fish market and a āstreet foodā counter. We went back to have a snack of grilled calamari and shrimp, accompanied with chips and garlic-parsley mash (i.e. garlic fries to Californians). We were cautious not to blow our stomach real estate because afterwards, we went to Klobasarna to have a Carniolan sausage and barley soup. Sure, itās 80+ degrees F. Letās have some hot soup. š
Afterwards, we went to Cafe Äokl to have a cold brew. Our barista was predictably uppity about coffee, even giving the couple seated next to us a hard time when they ordered coffee. āCoffee? What does that even mean?ā our barista asked. It was all tongue-in-cheek, but it all comes off as very serious. Once we finished our coffee, it was back to our hotel to grab our luggage and head to the train station.
Like Italy, travel by train is incredibly straightforward. For 9ā¬ each, we traveled to Zagreb, crossing the border in about two hours. The scenery was amazing, but the comfort was non-existent. There was no air conditioning, so we both spent two hours staying completely still and trying to catch a breeze through the one window we were sharing with a couple of backpacking college students in our cabin. It was so hot it was hard to read, to pass the time. Our exit from Slovenia and our entry into Croatia was so old school. Two separate border control guards came aboard, checked our passports and promptly stamped them - one after another.
When we arrived in Zagreb, we met up with our Airbnb host and then set foot on birthday dinner. In her research, Yennie determined she wanted to get a pizza in Zagreb, as most of the TripAdvisor suggestions were all about pizza! We went to Capuciner, a pizzeria and spaghetteria located just across the way from the Zagreb Cathedral. Yennie ordered the Ungherese Pizza, which included rajÄica, sir, Å”unka, gljive, Å”pek, jaje, ljuti feferoni as toppings. Rough translation: mushrooms, bacon, grated ham, and spicy peppers. It was decidedly Croatian, as every pizza worth eating in this country has shredded ham on it.
No pizza party is complete without a movie and a sleepover. Yennie picked Whiskey Tango Foxtrot to watch in bed. A perfect pizza party to celebrate the beginning of her 28th year on Planet Earth. š
Ožujsko Beer
Croatiaās Most Popular.
Capuciner, Kaptol 6
